Inspector Daniel Flanagan of the
Nassau County Police Department’s Third Precinct and ADA Caryn Stepner of the
Nassau County District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Unit were also available to
answer questions.

“The ‘Not In Our Town’ initiative
speaks right to the heart of how we feel here in North Hempstead,” said Supervisor
Bosworth. “This conference and our wonderful speakers have instilled hope in
the fight against intolerance and hate. I know that by standing together we are
sending a powerful message that we will not tolerate messages of hate.”

The esteemed panel of speakers
spoke about the danger of indifference and the importance of speaking out
against hate and intolerance.

Garrison-Feinberg, Director of Education for the Holocaust Memorial and
Tolerance Center of Nassau County urged people to take a stand against
hate, “The hate and the bias that turned into the genocide and Holocaust of the
20th century started by people allowing bias to flourish and not
standing up when the name calling was happening.”

Reverend Pina, Executive Director
of the Long Island Council of Churches, told the audience, “Hate is going to be
here. That is the way some people are and until their heart changes nothing is
going to move them…. But love is a four love letter word that we can all take
part in.”

Dr. Chaudhry, President of the
Islamic Center of Long Island, expressed how important it is to stand against
bigotry, hate, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. “We can come together with love,
with respect and with universalism,” she stated. “Let’s do it and let’s show
them how to do it and let’s make it happen. We can only make it happen
together,” she said.

Juli
Grey-Owens, the Executive Director of the Long Island Transgender Advocacy
Coalition (LITAC), explained to the audience that discrimination can happen to
anyone and how those in the transgender community are especially susceptible,
“Transpeople are part of every nationality, every race, every age group, every
gender and every religion. Unfortunately, this means that we can be
discriminated against not only for being transgender, but for our religious
beliefs, for being people of color, being a refugee, or for being
undocumented.”

Joselo Lucero, from the Hagedorn
Foundation, inspired the audience with his moving story about how he has
dedicated his life to prevent bullying and hate crimes following the 2008
murder of his brother Marcelo, the victim of a hate crime. “Now is the
crucial time, when my community is being targeted, the Muslim community is
being targeted the minority community is being targeted,” he said. “We have to
stand up,” said Lucero.

Keynote speaker Mayor Pontieri spoke about how, following the murder of
Marcelo Lucero, he worked together with the people of Patchogue to heal the
community. His speech was entitled, “A “Local Perspective: For Mayors and
Supervisors, It’s About Integration, Not Immigration.”

“In 2008 I could not foresee how on November 8, 2008 seven high school
students from an adjoining community would pile into a car, looking for Latinos
to assault,” Mayor Pontieri said. “Despite our national identity as a melting
pot the integration of immigrants into any community is difficult in the best
of times…Patchogue began the process in earnest on the heels of a tragic
murder. Mayors cannot afford to focus on the wrong aspect of the immigration
debate. On the local level it should always be about integration and not
immigration. Patchogue’s story should serve as a powerful cautionary tale to
all of us.”

The evening concluded with
attendees signing the “Not In Our Town” Pledge to notbe silent in the
face of hate crimes, intolerance or violence. People are encouraged to take the
pledge by signing their name on a poster at North Hempstead Town Hall in
Manhasset until May 17, at that time the pledge will be moved for display on
the front lawn of Town Hall. In the coming weeks a “Not In Our Town” poster
will be printed as a full page ad in the local newspapers, suitable for hanging
in a window or storefront.

Not In Our Town is a project of
The Working Group, an Oakland-based nonprofit founded in 1988. Not In Our Town
was launched in 1995 with their landmark PBS film that documented the heroic
efforts of Billings, Montana citizens who stood up for their neighbors after a
series of hate crimes. They inspired hundreds of communities in the United
States and around the world to take action against hate.

North Hempstead’s “Not In Our
Town” campaign began several months ago with the distribution of posters for
individuals and businesses to display in their windows declaring “I will not
remain silent in the face of hate crimes, violence or intolerance.”

“This conference is just the
first step,” said the Supervisor. “We need to remain vigilant against hateful
acts. Our residents know that our Town is a place where all can feel safe
regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. North
Hempstead is a family and we need to treat each other with love and respect.”

To learn more about the Not In
Our Town national initiative visit wwwnotinourtown.org.
For a NIOT poster, call 311.

Supervisor Judi Bosworth signs the Not In Our Town pledge.

Audience members take a stand against hate at North Hempstead’s “Not In Our Town” event held at Clinton G. Martin Park.

Not In Our Town speakers are, Tracy Garrison-Feinberg, Director of Education for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTCNC); Juli Grey-Owens, the Executive Director of the Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition (LITAC); Joselo Lucero from the Hagedorn Foundation; Steve Markowitz, Chair HMTCNC; North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth; Reverend Dyanne Pina, Executive Director of the Long Island Council of Churches; Dr. Isma Chaudhry, President of the Islamic Center of Long Island; and Village of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri.